Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that an examination and medical nexus opinion are necessary to properly resolve the claim of service connection for a right knee disability.

The Veteran's knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent for arthritis and fracture of the right tibia. He also has a separate rating for quadriceps atrophy and shortening of the right tibia, but this issue was not addressed in the decision.

The Veteran's right knee medial meniscal tear, status post arthroscopic repair, is currently rated at 10 percent and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on limitation of motion or functional loss.

The Veteran's right knee patellofemoral dysfunction was not incurred or aggravated in active military service, and is not secondary to the Veteran's service connected left knee tendinitis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for partial amputation of the left fourth finger and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the left leg have been denied. The remaining claims for right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle arthralgia have all been granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current knee disabilities are related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining service personnel records and medical records from private hospitals and VA facilities. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered after these records are obtained.

The Board found that the Veteran did not file a claim for separate evaluations for his right knee, ankle and bilateral leg disabilities prior to August 22, 2005. As such, the effective date of service connection cannot be earlier than August 22, 2005.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for a new examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board Hearing at the RO. The issues include seeking higher disability ratings and TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining information about work absences due to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability and determining if referral of the claim to the VA Central Office for extraschedular consideration is warranted.

The Board denied an increase in a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's right knee disability and denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have degenerative joint disease of the left knee that is attributable to his active military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee arthritis is not secondary to his service-connected right foot disability and denied the claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an extra-schedular evaluation for left knee disability and service connection for PTSD, finding that the alleged stressors could not be verified.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, glaucoma, gout, and residuals of a left knee injury with a contusion are not supported by the evidence. The claim for an initial compensable rating for the residuals of a left inguinal hernia repair is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected traumatic arthritis of the left and right knees are being remanded due to a lack of recent VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea has been granted, thus the issue is dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left hip disabilities, as well as his ankle disabilities, were denied. His claims for increased ratings for knee disabilities were also denied.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a left knee disorder that developed after he underwent arthroscopic surgery. The claim will be remanded to determine if the left knee disorder is secondary to his already service-connected right knee disability.